Whiffletree-hook.



No. 890,082; PATEN' D JUNE 9, 190.3.

L. MORGAN.

WHIFPLET-REE HOOK.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 2a. 1907.

Morgana,-

INVENTOR.

By 7 I I I EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE cv UNITE srarns Parana OFFTQEQ LEWIS MORGAN, OF MANCHESTER, OKLAHOMA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JAMES JAY WARNOGK, OF MANCHESTER, OKLAHOMA.

WI-IIFFLE TREE-HO OK.

Application filed April 23, 1907.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Lnwrs MORGAN, a citi zen of the United States, residing at Manchester, in the county of Grant, Oklahoma, have invented a new and useful Whifiletree- Hook, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a whiffletree hook provided with means for preventing the trace strap from becoming disengaged.

The object of the invention resides in a spring plate of novel form and construction, pivoted near the end of a whiffietree and extending through an opening in a T headed shank, to which the trace is fastened, the spring plate engaging the under side of said shank by means of an offset on said plate.

In the accompanying drawing: Figure l is a perspective view of the'invention, and Fig. 2 is a'longitudinal vertical sectional view of the same.

Similar numerals of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures.

A whifiietree 1 of usual construction is socketed in a tubular end cap 2 from, the end of which on its under side projects a flat shank 3 having a neck 4 and a head 5 enlarged in a fore and aft direction as shown. Through the head 5 is a vertical slot 6, the outer wall 7 of which is inclined from above downwardly and inwardly to form a lip or keeper 8 at the bottom. On the upper side of the cap, and back from its end a suitable distance are two upstanding lugs 9, between which and the end of the cap is a groove 2 forming a seat for a spring plate 10 pivoted on a pin 11 passing through an eye 12 on said spring plate, and the lugs as shown.

The spring plate 10 is approximately in the form of a right angle having its longer arm 1O slightly curved inwardly, as shown and. its shorter arm 10 provided on its outer side with a projecting lug or head 13, beveled on its under side, to engage below the lip or keeper 8, and two shoulders 14, one on each edge, to rest on the top of the shank 3 and limit the downward movement of the spring plate 10.

The trace strap 15 is attached by its elongated opening 16 to the neck of the shank 3 as usual after the spring plate has been disengaged and thrown back, as represented by Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented .Tune 9, 1908.

Serial No. 369,864.

dotted lines in Fig. 2. Having placed the trace in position, the spring plate is turned on its pivot until the beveled face of the lug 13 rests on the inclined side 7 of the slot 6. Then, by pressing on the spring plate, the lug slips over the inclined wall 7 and under the lip 8 and locks the plate in position.

Where the spring plate passes over the trace,

it is curved to give plenty of room for the trace to work without striking the plate. The longer arm of the spring plate is thinner than the shorter arm as it is the former arm which yields when the lug is pressed back to engage and disengage the lip. The longer arm 10 of the plate spring rests in the groove 2 when in locked position and. guards against lateral movement of said spring.

It will be seen that the spring 10 serves to force the head. or lug 13 into engagement with keeper 8 and as a result said spring becomes positively locked in engagement with the keeper and can not be moved out of the opening 6 to release the trace unless the head 13 is first moved against the stress of the spring and away from the keeper, this movement being in the direction of the length of the slot 6.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed is A whiflietree hook comprising a cap, a longitudinally slotted shank extending therebeyond, a spring strip pivotally mounted upon said cap and having a beveled head insertible through the slot, said strip being shaped to spring the head automatically into engagement with one wall of the slot to lock it against withdrawal therefrom, and stop shoulders extending laterally from the spring strip and perpendicularly ,to the path of movement of the head, said shoulders being designed to loosely rest upon the shank and to slide thereon during the movement of the head into or out of engagement with the wall of the slot.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto afliXed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

LEYWIS MORGAN. Witnesses H. W. RENEAU, E. A. WA'r'KINs. 

